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Monday, January 31, 2011

I'm bringing back another project from last year. I promise I am going to try & get something new posted soon! But I have more traffic now, so I'm sure some of you havent seen this yet. I am in the midst of cleaning out & reorganizing my craft room/laundry room/utlity room/2nd bathroom, so hopefully when that's done. So in the meantime...

My daughter loves all things hair. Hair bows, clips, headbands... she likes them all! I've made a few of the fabric hair clips that are all over the place. A couple flowers, a couple circles, but this time, I knew I wanted to try something different for Valentine's Day. I decided to try a heart. And I think it turned out really cute!

It just two layers of each fabric, stiched together with some felt behind it. I roughed up the edges a bit and stiched it onto a clip, and boom, done! Took maybe 20 minutes? Super quick & easy, and a great way to use up some scraps.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Welcome to the very first Frugal Friday! Every Friday I'll be posting about my weekly grocery shopping, coupons & hot deals! I am not totally prepared this week, so I'm going to share what I got today at Publix. I was waiting for today because Dollar General has a printable for $5/$25 purchase, good TODAY ONLY! Publix in my area accepts them as a competator. So I printed two and broke my stuff up into two transactions. This is what I came home with (note Morgan on the table going after the bagel crisps).

Aside from coupons, requesting free samples online is another great way to save! There have been a lot of Facebook promos lately, too. Here is a sampling of some of the things that have come in my mailbox this past week:

Aveda shampoo/conditioner samplescoupon for $.99 off a $.99 bag of Ruffles3 coupons for a FREE 1/2 gallon of 8th Continent Soymilkcoupon for FREE Renuzit cone$10/$10 purchase from Victoria's Secret

And speaking of Facebook, if you are going to be anywhere near a Bath & Body Works this weekend, head over to their Facebook page where you can print a coupon for a FREE 1.6 oz. candle! And check out the Downy Facebook page tonight, 1/28, at 8:00 EST where you could score one of 10,000 sample of April Fresh Downy!

So now it's your turn! Feel free to link up your frugal posts for the week. Anything from a great shopping trip, how you organize your coupons, free finds or even frugal tips! Just PLEASE make sure you link back here, and only link your permalink, not the url for your blog! If you arent linked back to me, I will have to delete your link. Thank you! :)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Since the Valentine's Day crafts are EVERYWHERE right now, I thought I'd bring back a really cute project I did last year. It's really simple & really cute! Not to mention inexpensive & eco-friendly.

This couldnt be easier! Just take old magazines you have and wish to part with. Browse through and look for anything red or pink, and then just punch them out, cut them out or use a die cutting machine! I do not have a punch or a die cutter, so I made a template and cut them out. I mounted them on cardstock for stability. I punched a small hole in each side, and threaded them onto yarn. Didnt cost a thing! But I think it turned out pretty cute.

Pardon the lighting in this picture. This is my hallway, so there isnt any natural light.

I'm not sure if there are any other Valentine's crafts coming yet, we'll see! I've never really decorated for it in the past, but with so many cute projects out there, I just might have to.

Monday, January 24, 2011

I know sometimes you hear that you can't really save money by using coupons. I've read articles that say that and I've heard people say that. But, I have been clipping coupons since I was 18 (9 years now!) and I can tell you, they are wrong. You can save a ton of money using coupons. Take a look. (sorry for the blueness! my battery was low!)

Winn Dixie8 boxes of Mueller's pasta - $1.00 ea.

Total out of pocket - 0.00

Total saved - $13.34

Target2 loaves of bread - $.80 ea.

9 tubs of The GoodLife Recipe cat food - $.77 ea.

1 17.9 lb. bag of Meow Mix cat food - $9.99

Total out of pocket - $6.21

Total Saved - $15.68

Publix1 bag Thomas Bagel Thins - $3.49

2 boxes Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt - $2.00 + BOGO

2 bags Goldfish Crackers - $2.19 ea.

1 tub cream cheese 1.69

1 cup Yoplait yogurt - $.50

1 small pack top sirloin - $4.10

2 tubs Hillshire Farm lunchmeat - $3.34 ea.

4 bags Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese - $2.59 ea.

1 box Excedrin - $3.99

Total out of pocket - $6.32

Total saved - $34.41

Awesome, huh? So, starting Friday, I'm going to have a weekly linky party. I think I'm going to go with "Frugal Friday". We'll see. It will be a way to share your weekly savings, or any money saving tips you might have. I hope to see you there!

We found this owl in one of the sheds here when we moved in. Note the "Coop Deville" sign above the door.

There is a local place that drops off fill dirt out by the pond when they need to get rid of some. A lot of the time there are pavers & bricks mixed in. Mike goes through & picks out all the good ones & brings them back down to the house. He used some of them here, walking into the coop. It's hard to get a picture of something outside without a cat in the shot. That's Chewy (Chewbaca).

Walking into the coop, there is a row of nest boxes. This chicken here is either Morgan or Layla, I can't tell unless they are next to each other.

That beast on the right is Blake the rooster. Not sure why he likes to chill in the hens' boxes, but he does. At night he likes to cram in there head first. To the right of him is either Morgan or Layla.

To the right is where the water & feed is, along with a diving wall. Mike has since built a trough, so now those stones hold a larger water dish. The wall helps keep the wind out when it's cold.

If you turn to the right when you walk in, this is what you see. Their run area. They love to pile up on that perch he built.

We had a few pumpkins leftover from our pumpkin patch, so I decided to finally toss them. They have been hanging around since September or October, I think it was about time. The chickens enjoyed them though.

And here is what we get from our lovely ladies each day. One brown, one red and one blue.

We have several roosters in the mix, but they will be leaving soon. We thought about taking them to the auction, but lately we have been thinking about butchering them to eat. No judgement please :). We've never done it, but I grew up around it. It's just something we're thinking about. Besides, it would be nice to have fresh meat & knowing where it came from is nice, too.

Some details on the coop. It's about 25x15. Probably 95% of everything used was recycled/repurposed. The only thing that Mike had to buy was some wood for the diving wall. The main sides of the coop were already standing. They were originally used for goats by the original owner of the property. The top & sides were covered in chain link that was also already here. The boards on top, the crates inside, the sheet metal & the french doors were brought home from jobs (instead of going to the landfill or scrap yard). The whole coop costs less than $40. The chickens looked very happy when they moved in. The next project is supposed to be a fort for the kids!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sorry for the break! I am back with real posts! With the mostly mild Florida winter, we have been working & playing outside a lot. We are working towards being more green & growing more of our own food, so the latest projects have been devoted to that. Mike built this worm box, but as you can see, the cats love it too!

We had previously been tossing our fruit & veggie scraps where we plant our garden, but he ended up building this compost bin out of repurposed pallets & crates.

This biggest project has been the new chicken coop. This was our old coop. As you can see, it isnt very big, and it's pretty dark. The sheet metal isnt usually there, and it was a bit brighter, but this was in progress and the right side has already been covered with metal.

Here is the new coop, in progress. Yes, french doors on a chicken coop! They were from a job he did, and instead of tossing them in the landfill, he brought them home to use. You can see this is immediatly to the right of the old coop.

This is the new nesting & feeding area. The divider wall is to block air and make a cozy spot for nesting & roosting.

This is to the right when you walk in, their run area.

We got it all finished yesterday & all the chickens moved, so my next post will be the new & improved coop!

Monday, January 10, 2011

I have blogged about Meyer Imports in the past, and now they are back again with

another fabulous glitter offer! Check out these gorgeous Glitter Crystals over there to the left. How pretty are they? According to their blog, this is what the glass glitter looks like without it's sterling silver coating. This definitely sounds like something super fun to play with. So check out the Meyer Imports blog to find out how you could get a free sample of this lovely stuff, and possibly even WIN some!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

I've previously mentioned how fabulous I think CSN Stores is. I mean, you can get almost ANYTHING you want from their 200+ stores! Anything from Ottoman Coffee Tables to garbage cans to toys for your kiddos. And one of my kiddos is who I chose to get something for this time. With Christmas coming, I knew I wanted to try & find something for one of them. So I was pretty excited when I found that they carries Power Wheels! And this Lil' Quad was perfect. It was exactly her size and it was pink! I am thrilled with this purchase. I think the video speaks for itself!

I was provided the opportunity to review this product courtesy of CSN Stores, but my opinions are 100% my own.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to normal. And why not start a new tradition? How about a taco night? In this house, we love Chicken Soft Tacos. So we were super excited when we got to review Old El Paso seasonings. It made for some very tasty tacos!

If you'd like to get some for yourself, check out this coupon for $.60/2 Old El Paso products!

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About Me

My name is Wendy. I'm a 30 year old mom and college student, enjoying life with my 3 kids, my wonderful husband, WAY too many cats and a bunch of chickens in sunny Lakeland, Fl. Here you will find crafts, recipes, birthday parties and whatever else comes up!
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